Catholic Replies
Q. My seven-year-old son came home from Religious Education class and asked me if he had been Jewish before he was baptized a Catholic. What would you have answered? — M.C., Massachusetts.
A. We would have said that he was not Jewish, but rather was a person made in the image and likeness of God and, when he was baptized, he became a child of God. According to the Baltimore Catechism, Question 315, “Baptism is the sacrament that gives our souls the new life of sanctifying grace by which we become children of God and heirs of heaven.”
Question 316 says that “Baptism takes away original sin; and also actual sin and all the punishment due to them, if the person baptized be guilty of any actual sins and truly sorry for them.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1279), says that “the fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of Original Sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very act, the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ.”
Q. Some time ago, my wife and I were godparents for a nephew. We attended a class at a local parish that was facilitated by a lay married couple. There was no priest present. At the class, the male facilitator said to everyone there, “Don’t worry if you don’t go to Mass on Sundays. You’re not going to Hell.” Did he mean that it’s no longer a mortal sin to miss Mass on Sundays? I called the pastor and left him a voice mail describing the incident, but I never heard from him. Is missing Mass on Sundays and holy days without a valid reason no longer a big deal? — W.C., California.
A. It might not be a big deal to the facilitator at the Baptism prep class, but it’s a big deal to Jesus and His Church, and it is still a grave sin. Here are the words of the Catechism:
“The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin” (n. 2181).
It’s too bad that you didn’t ask the facilitator if he expects get to Heaven without weekly attendance at Mass and reception of Jesus in Holy Communion. Does he think that Jesus was just killing time when He celebrated the first Mass at the Last Supper? The Catechism (n. 1356) says that “if from the beginning Christians have celebrated the Eucharist and in a form whose substance has not changed despite the great diversity of times and liturgies, it is because we know ourselves to be bound by the command the Lord gave on the eve of His Passion: ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ [1 Cor 11:24-25].”
Jesus gave us the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood, says the Catechism (n. 1323), “in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us’ [SC, n. 47].”
Since this facilitator is telling others not to worry about going to Mass, does that mean he doesn’t go every week? If so, what is he doing preparing parents and godparents for the Baptism of a child? Whether he attends Mass every week or not, he is guilty of scandal, that is, leading others into sin, by telling them that they don’t have to go to Mass, and he should be worried himself about being on the road to Hell. Shame on him and shame on a pastor who lets someone like that mislead those who have come for sacramental instruction.
Why don’t you write a letter to the pastor and express your concerns about this egregious breach of trust? Feel free to use any of the comments above.
Q. The Psalm response at Mass today said that “you are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.” Who was Melchizedek? — J.F., via e-mail.
A. Melchizedek was a king and priest who lived at the time of Abram (later Abraham). When Abram learned that a group of kings had seized all the food and possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and had taken his nephew Lot prisoner, he mustered more than 300 men, defeated the kings in battle, and rescued Lot. When he returned from his victory, Abram was greeted by Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who brought out bread and wine and, being a priest of “God Most High,” he blessed Abram with these words:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, / the creator of heaven and earth; / And blessed be God Most High, / who delivered your foes into your hand” (Gen. 14:18-20).
Here we see the reason why Melchizedek is mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer. His offering of a sacrifice of bread and wine prefigures the offering of bread and wine by Jesus, who is also a King and Priest, at the Last Supper, and also by every Catholic priest since then. In the New Testament, the Letter to the Hebrews says that Melchizedek’s name means “righteous king, and he was also ‘king of Salem,’ that is, king of peace. Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever” (Heb. 7:3).
In his Catholic Bible Dictionary, Scott Hahn says that Melchizedek is a “foreshadowing of Jesus Christ” for four reasons. First, he is both a king and a priest. Second, he ruled over the city of Salem, which Jewish tradition has identified with Jerusalem, and Jesus will rule over the “heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22). Third, Melchizedek and Jesus are both without “father, mother, or ancestry,” which does not mean that they were parentless, but rather that “neither was bound by the requirements laid down for the Levitical priests of the Old Covenant.” Fourth, Melchizedek also foreshadows Jesus “in making bread and wine his signature offering” (pp. 598-599).
Q. I thought during Eucharistic adoration, when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, there was to be complete silence for the people to pray silently. Recently, we had a holy hour before Mass and, during the last fifteen minutes of the holy hour, the organist played music. Is this proper? — E.C., via e-mail.
A. While silence during adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament is typical, especially during all-night adoration, there is no requirement for sacred silence. In fact, during holy hours for various reasons (for life, healing, peace, vocations, etc.), it is common to have prayers, readings from Scripture, a homily, litanies, general intercessions, songs and hymns, and recitation of the rosary or the stations of the cross. In the Vatican document Redemptionis Sacramentum, it says:
“Exposition of the Most Holy Eucharist must always be carried out in accordance with the prescriptions of the liturgical books. Before the Most Holy Sacrament, either reserved or exposed, the praying of the rosary, which is admirable ‘in its simplicity and even its profundity,’ is not to be excluded either. Even so, especially if there is exposition, the character of this kind of prayer as a contemplation of the mystery of the life of Christ the Redeemer and the Almighty Father’s design of salvation should be emphasized, especially by making use of readings taken from Sacred Scripture.
“Still, the Most Holy Sacrament, when exposed, must never be left unattended even for the briefest space of time. It should therefore be arranged that at least some of the faithful always be present at fixed times, even if they take alternating turns” (nn. 137-138).
